Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." - Clare Boothe Luce

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The dialectic of sex

I know, sounding off feminist now. Well, luckily one of the jobs I was doing involved reading up on Margaret Fuller and honestly, I was surprised at how interesting that got. Oh by the way I also read up on two literary novels which I never had the chance to get around to, the all American classics, the Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird. I know, actually I'm not a big fan of American literature, its a bit too southern for me, or am I just crazy? It was when I was pregnant with Ezra and I was reading on John Steinbeck, its just that the Southern heat its almost I could feel it the hot air breeze and the racism I could taste it. Now getting back to Harper Lee and F.Scott Fitzgerald. I actually was very angry when I finished reading the Great Gatsbv, how was it possible that Fitzgerald could create a character so pathetic in Gatsby that your heart could almost fall apart remembering his fate. I know it was something similar to an old P.Ramlee movie, Antara Dua Darjat between the rich and the poor but who would have thought that Gatsby's wealth didn't become an equalizer, while Daisy, well, I suppose I can understand her...somewhat. Tom was her confidante, regardless if he had another woman, they were the same class, the same social status whereas Gatsby, he was noveau riche. To Kill A Mockingbird on the other hand was satisfying but not as satisfying as Uncle Tom's Cabin. Ironically, written by a Quaker woman. Reminded me of how was it that Charlotte Bronte an isolated woman was able to write Wuthering Heights. Anyway those two things out of the way let me get back to Margaret Fuller. Whilst reading on Fuller and her wonderful wonderful prose, I cannot help but think while Fuller was on her topmost breath screaming for women, Candace Bushnell in her Sex and the City book was the product of that freedom. When will women be satisfied? (Hehehe making it sound like Carrie Bradshaw now) Women sucked back then and they sucked now. Maybe, its because - listen to this, WE WOMEN ARE SELF-CRITICAL. have you ever heard of a man who is self-critical? ALL MEN are VAIN. Well, except men who are like women. But that is the sad truth, women are foolish because they criticize themselves too much while men fucking foolish because they don't. Then there's Gertrude Stein with Alice Toklas. Stein herself never promoted equality of the sexes for women. A quote was attributed to her, that even if women were given the freedom to do whatever they liked, they would still remain oppressed slaves of men. Viva La Femme.